While remote work was certainly around before the pandemic, the past few years have shown companies that remote work is not only logistically possible but also desirable by employees and beneficial for employers as well. As a result, the question of how to maintain security when employees work remotely has become a top concern for tech leaders and the C-suite.   

Many employees have enjoyed the work-life balance that remote work facilitates, and employers enjoy reduced spending on office space. Still, remote work is not without its own challenges. Specifically, IT teams everywhere struggle to find seamless and secure solutions for remote work configurations.  

Read on to learn more about the unique challenges of remote work, as well as what IT solutions must be implemented for successful remote work.  

Challenges to Working Remotely  

Working remotely comes with as many challenges as it does benefits. A report from Bridgepointe partner Evolve IP, “Navigating the Journey to Work from Anywhere, in a Secure and Hassle Free Manner” shares valuable insights.

In the EvolveIP report, they shared that security is a central concern, with 65% of tech leaders indicating that they are most concerned about securing remote workers.  

Cyber attacks are becoming more frequent, sophisticated, and disruptive. Cyber criminals are now taking advantage of the weak security points of remote work to launch more attacks.

These attacks exploit the increased security surface that remote work creates as there are more devices, apps, and cloud environments than in-office environments. Every app, device, and cloud becomes a potential point of entry for cyber attacks.   

 In addition, there’s increased pressure from employees who want to be able to use their own devices and apps. This clashes with the desires of IT to limit the amount and diversity of apps and devices, in order to improve security outcomes. Plus, many companies have been forced to expand their BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) initiatives because of supply-chain related hardware shortages that make it difficult to provide uniform hardware to employees.  

Employees are putting increased pressure on IT to provide seamless and secure solutions that facilitate working from anywhere. When choosing where to work, prospective employees are even taking into consideration the technology policies and device choices of a company. 

How to Maintain Security When Employees Work Remotely  

The pressure is on for tech leaders to figure out how to maintain security when employees work remotely. In addition to considering security, IT solutions must meet the needs of employees, and provide digital experiences that meet and surpass the standards of on-premise work.  

Secure solutions need to extend to the edge of the workplace environment and must encompass all apps and devices, regardless of location and ownership. Secure, reliable access to all apps and data needed for work ensures that everyone is productive. Seamless digital experiences facilitate collaboration and help businesses move forward in their goals.   

IT teams that are more collaborative and business-minded are more likely to find solutions that both make employees happy while keeping mission-critical data secure.  

To learn more about how to maintain security when employees work remotely, download the PDF from our partners Evolve IP here:

 

Kat Smith